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Student Visa Rejections and Refusals

Section 1: Purpose and Contents of this page:

This page has been made to provide guidance on the student visa refusals and rejections.

Please note that the Immigration Service does not have any influence over Home Office refusal decisions nor do we have any special contacts at Embassies to overturn or rush applications through.
However, if you have received a refusal which is clearly in error and you have a named Entry Clearance Officer and their contact details please forward these to us along with your refusal notice.

Section 1: Difference between REFUSAL and REJECTION:

Refusal:
A refused application is a valid application which has been assessed by a caseworker, but does not meet the Student visa requirements. In this instance you will receive a refusal notice explaining why your application was refused; in other words, which requirement was not satisfied.

There are a number of reasons why your visa may be refused; some of the most common reasons are:

  • Financial evidence is incomplete, or the format of the financial documents provided does not meet UKVI requirements
  • There are insufficient funds or the funds evidenced are from a source not acceptable to the UKVI
  • The Home Office believe that the applicant has used deception

If you apply for a Student visa in the UK and it is an invalid application then it will be rejected instead of refused. If your visa application is rejected, you will not be covered by Section 3C Leave and may become an overstayer straight away if your visa has already expired.

Rejection:

An application will be rejected if it does not meet the 'validity' requirements.

To make a valid application, you must meet all of the criteria below (see further information under 'Validity requirements for a student'):

  • Use the correct form with all mandatory sections completed
  • Pay the correct application fee
  • Pay the correct IHS fee
  • Provide any required biometrics (fingerprint; photo etc.)
  • Provide a passport or other acceptable travel document
  • Provide a valid CAS (issued no more than 6 months before your date of visa application, and has not been used in a previous visa application which has been granted, refused or pending)
  • Provide financial sponsor's consent on the date of online application (if fully financially sponsored in the last 12 months)

Where an application is deemed invalid, it will be rejected. It will be as if a visa application had never been made and, if your visa has already expired by the time the application is rejected, it will have serious implications for your immigration status and record as you might become an overstayer.

Section 3: Will I still have valid immigration leave after REFUSAL?

This will be dependent on a number of factors. Please get in touch with University's student immigration advisorLink opens in a new window for advice on your specific situation.

Section 4:Will my visa application fee be refunded after REFUSAL?

You will not receive a refund for your visa application fee, but you will be refunded for any payments that you have made towards the immigration health surcharge.

  • IHS refunds are normally issued within the service standard time, for example, UK standard application service = 8 weeks
  • Refunds are always issued back to the card that was used for the original payment
  • In some cases, refunds can fail especially if using an overseas card.
  • If you have not received your refund within the service standard advertised for your application type, please contact us and ensure you provide your:
    • Application reference number
    • Payment reference number
    • Passport number

Section 5: I have received a visa REFUSAL inside the UK, what shall I do?

You must complete a Visa Refusal Form telling us of your refusal, please ensure that you upload the refusal notice so we can advise you on what to do next. We may also ask you to come and meet with an international student adviser.

If you feel that the caseworker has made an error with the decision, then you may be eligible to apply for an administrative review of your application.

Section 6: I have received my REFUSAL notice, but my passport is not included?

If the visa refusal comes after your previous visa has already expired the Home Office may retain your passport to ensure that you leave the UK. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation please make an appointment to see an adviser as soon as possible. We will assist you with arrangements and ensure that you know what your obligations and options are.

Section 7: I have received a visa REFUSAL outside of the UK, what shall I do?

You must complete a Visa Refusal Form telling us of your refusal; please ensure that you upload the refusal notice so we can advise you on what to do next. We will be in touch with you by e-mail within 3 working days.

If you feel that the entry clearance officer has made an error when assessing your application, you may be able to submit an administrative review from overseas; if you are in a position to request an administrative review we would strongly encourage you to do so. If the decision is overturned, you will not have a refusal on your immigration record.

Any refusals must be declared and explained on all future visa applications for the UK and often for visa applications for other countries.

If, however, your refusal was a correct decision, then you should pay detailed attention to the refusal notice given to you which will tell you the reason(s) for refusal.

If you are in a position to submit a new application with correct documentation then you should go ahead with this if you will be able to obtain your visa in time to travel to the UK. You will need a new CAS in order to make this application as your previous one will be 'used' and therefore no longer valid. Please refer to our flow chartLink opens in a new window(PDF Document) for details on the process of obtaining a new CAS.

Please note, it will often be necessary to obtain new financial documents to comply with the strict time-frames as the documents submitted with the original timeframe may be too old to use with a second application.

If there is any flexibility in your course start date your CAS will detail your 'latest start date' which is the latest date you should arrive at the University to start your course.As long as your fresh visa application can be processed in time for you to travel to the UK for this date then you can go ahead with this. In some cases, such as research degrees, it may be possible to negotiate a later start date and you should contact admissions to discuss this.

Section 8: Visa application REJECTED while you are in the UK?

You should submit a Meet An Adviser RequestLink opens in a new window for specific advice on your options. You should be aware that you may not be able to remain in the UK to submit a new application.

Section 9: Visa application REJECTED while you are outside of the UK?

The immigration implications are not as serious. However, a delay to obtaining an appropriate visa to start a new course or return to your current course could have a significant impact on whether you are permitted to resume your studies or start your new course.If you do not act quickly you may need to defer or temporarily withdraw in order to meet Warwick's strict attendance requirements in compliance with the UK Visas & Immigration (Home Office) rules.

You will need to resubmit your application as quickly as you can, ensuring that your CAS is still valid and that any financial documents meet the strict date requirements for your new application date.

Section 10: Refunds for REJECTED applications:

The application fee will be refunded if paid by credit/debit card, minus ÂŁ25.

  • Refunds are normally issued within the service standard time, for example, UK Standard Application Service = 8 weeks
  • Refunds are always issued back to the card that was used
  • In some cases, international refunds can fail. If you have not received your refund within the service standard advertised for your application type, please contact us and ensure you provide your:
    • Application reference number
    • Payment reference number
    • Passport number

Page Change Log:

Page Audit Review:
Previous Review Date Reviewed By Next Review Date
13/Mar/2022 ISA: JL 13/Mar/2023
Page Updates:
Section Updated Sub Section Short summary of update Updated By Updated When
All All Page Created ISA: JL 13/Mar/2022